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Alvarran
Alvarran (formerly Pietersberg) is the capital of Duke Edouard. One of the largest towns in the Reaches, Alvarran is protected to the north by formidable walls and to the south by the broken terrain of the Black Karst. Built around a market square at the confluence of two roads and three deep wells that provide the town's water, it guards the head of Pieter's Pass, the main route through the Karst to Savonne and the other southern territories. Notable Locations Castle Alvarr Sitting at the south edge of the town with its back to the Karst, Castle Alvarr is a large keep with three towers and a tall gatehouse. The castle has been extensively expanded by its current owner. Traces of the old architecture are mostly to be found closer to the ground, where the remains of the old walls have been built on. A single wall extends from the west wall of the keep, blocking off the northern end of Pieter's Pass. It has a broad gate through which all traffic to the south flows. In an emergency, this gate can be sealed with a portcullis. Alvarran Market Alvarran is a major stopping-point for merchant caravans on the Savonne road, and the centre of the town is given over to a broad, muddy square where people can sell their wares. The layout of the market will change from week to week; some traders return on a regular basis, while others pass through only infrequently. The main goods on offer are foodstuffs, wool, pottery, and leatherwork (particularly shoes), but at any given time one can find an array of rarer and more wondrous things for sale. The Chapel of Our Lady Victorious Previously the Temple of Holy Sigmar, the Chapel was partially demolished and converted to its current state when Duke Alvarr took power. It houses the remains of an ancient knight that were supposedly unearthed beneath the keep, together with his treasure. Situated on a rocky rise that is slightly higher than the surrounding town, the Chapel and its surroundings are known as the Temple District. Many smaller shrines to other gods can be found around it, but the Chapel is the largest and most opulent. The Guild-House of the Honourable Guild of Masons Perhaps the organisation that has profited most from Duke Alvarr's rule – due to his extensive rebuilding and improvement of the town's fortifications – the Honourable Guild of Masons hardly resemble the respectable guilds of the northern nations. Nevertheless, their guild-house near the market is one of the largest buildings in lower Alvarran, and apes the architectural style of their cousins in the Empire. The Boar and Crown A large inn commanding a prime position next to the market, the Boar and Crown (or the “Prince Piggy” as the locals like to call it) is renowned for its quality, possessing a couple of rooms with actual feather beds. The Gilded Beetle Alvarran's second inn, the Gilded Beetle (nicknamed the Brass Bug) sits in a more obscure and run-down corner of town than its rival. The narrow streets make it hard to find, and many aspersions are cast on the quality of its ale and the vermin-infested nature of its beds. Nevertheless, it is significantly cheaper than the Boar and Crown. The Garden of Morr Located outside the walls, the Garden of Morr is Alvarran's cemetery, and has remained in the same place for many centuries. A lonely stone house serves both as a chapel to the god of death and as lodgings for his solitary priest, who tends to the graves. It has always been a little run-down. Other Observations (To be filled in.) Category:Towns